


Stag's Song

by milkfruit



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: AU where claude/khalid is prince of almyra and in an arranged marriage with felix, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkfruit/pseuds/milkfruit
Summary: "The more Khalid thought about Felix, the more they seemed to be hopelessly incompatible.But Khalid’s deal with Felix may be able to fix that."
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Claude von Riegan, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Khalid
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Stag's Song

“Today is the day, _ghazal,_ make sure you look presentable,” Khalid’s father, Ahmad, King of Almyra, comes bearing special clothing for Khalid, in deep blues and yellows with gold trim to symbolize new relations between the Kingdom of Faerghus and Almyra.

Khalid was engaged, after all.

Khalid wasn’t keen on the whole “political arranged marriage” thing, but since it was a tradition and Khalid was of age, he didn’t really have a say in it. Apparently, his groom was from Faerghus, where his father was the most powerful Lord in the land, behind the King himself of course. The Lord’s name was Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, a renowned mage and Duke, and his youngest son was to take Khalid’s hand in marriage.

It had already been decided. Rodrigue wanted to establish a good relationship between the two countries of Almyra and Faerghus, for the sake of the king-to-be, Dimitri, who desperately needed allies. So he offered his youngest son to marry Khalid, the youngest of three heirs to the Almyran throne. Because Khalid was not a direct heir (that would be his brother, Hakeem), Rodrigue did not have to worry about Felix becoming a King and abandoning his station in his homeland.

Khalid reluctantly donned the clothes, wearing his usual head wrapping with it. When Khalid exited his room after putting the designated outfit on, his mother, Tiana, coos at him lovingly. “You look so handsome,” She gushes, holding his chin and rubbing his cheek with her thumb. Khalid groans, not particularly enjoying the coddling from his mother. “Oh, don’t be like that,” She says. “Now go downstairs and meet our guests,”

Khalid descends the main staircase leading to the foyer and common room, and all eyes are immediately on him, including the approving gaze of Ahmad. Among those watching him were who Khalid presumed to be Rodrigue, some Faerghus knights, and Felix. When Khalid reaches the bottom of the stairs, Rodrigue and the knights in his company all bow collectively. Rodrigue needs to elbow Felix to get him to bow, which Felix does hesitantly.

“Ah, Khalid,” Ahmad seems happy to see Khalid wearing the clothes he gave him, though he looks disappointedly down at Khalid’s feet, which were left uncovered. “Meet your fiancée and your father-in-law.”

Cordial introductions are in order, Khalid thanking Rodrigue and Felix for coming all this way, and Rodrigue does most of the talking. Felix barely uttered a word throughout the entire meeting, just sizing up Khalid from head to toe, his hard gaze staring right through Khalid…

“Pardon my son’s rude silence,” Rodrigue finally says toward the end of their introductions. “Felix is not the speaking type.”

“It’s quite all right,” Khalid reassures with a chuckle. “I’m glad to finally meet him regardless.”

Ahmad and Rodrigue chat for a while about familial business and wedding plans while they leave their sons to their own devices in the other room.

It was awkward, at first.

They stand there in silence for a few moments, Felix glaring at him with his hand on the hilt of the blade he wore on his hip. Khalid was not armed, however, so he felt a bit uneasy.

“Hey, no need to be so wary of me,” Khalid laughs. “I’m not carrying a weapon. And even if I was, I wouldn’t hurt you. Aren’t we supposed to get along?”

Felix’s eyes narrow and his hand comes off the sword, huffing an annoyed sound out his nose. “Just because we’re _supposed_ to get along doesn’t mean we automatically _will_.”

“Hm. You’ve got a point,” Khalid studies the blade at Felix’s side for a minute. Its craftsmanship was nothing like the kind that came from Almyra… The sword was long and broad and had a silver hilt. “You seem like the type of guy to get to know someone better by a little friendly competition. Am I right?”

Felix doesn’t answer, but the glint in his amber eyes says it all.

“Heh. I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ Well, lucky for you, I’m somewhat the same way. How about a little duel to break the ice?” Khalid suggests, a hand on his hip. Felix looks around, making sure his father was preoccupied. Something tells him that Rodrigue would not approve if he learned that Felix was sparring his own fiancée.

“You’re on.” Felix accepts, and Khalid can’t help the smirk that creeps up onto his face.

Khalid leads Felix to the courtyard where he usually trained, picking a scimitar from the repertoire of weapons they had stocked up for Khalid to train with. The blade was curved, the hilt bronze. Khalid spins it in his hand experimentally, as he was not entirely used to handling a sword.

Above them, wyverns flew in the air, seemingly encircling the Prince and Felix, like they were watching what was about to unfold.

“I guess it’s only fair if I use a sword as well, eh?” Khalid teases. “Can’t have you at a disadvantage right from the get-go.”

“What do you mean by that?” Felix draws his blade with a metallic sliding sound, and Khalid takes his stance.

“I’m used to the bow & arrow, if we’re being candid with each other. Anyway, not important. What’s important now is that you come at me.”

Felix is all too happy to do so, dashing forth and raising a powerful strike, which Khalid counters, and the clash of metal on metal is enough to excite Felix, make his blood pump and his adrenaline start to flare up. Felix and Khalid duke it out for a good twenty minutes, until Felix’s sword leaves his hand with an especially masterful thrust of the blade from Khalid, and Felix falls right on his ass, Khalid’s weapon pointed at his throat.

“That’s checkmate.” Khalid smiles, warm and inviting, yet his hazel eyes remain dark and full of mystery.

Felix snarls. “How did you get through my defenses?” He barks. “There were no openings for you to—“

“And _that’s_ where you’re wrong.” Khalid interjects, winking at Felix cheerfully. “As an archer, my keen eye for vulnerability makes me special when wielding other weapons. I can spot an opening from a mile away, and you, my friend, were so full of confidence that you didn’t realize you had a major blind spot.”

Felix blinks. Khalid sheaths his sword, offering his hand to Felix to help him get up, but Felix bats his hand away and stands on his own, without Khalid’s assistance.

“You’ll teach me how to perfect my technique,” Felix states, like it was an absolute, inarguable fact that Khalid could not say no to.

“All in good time.” Khalid giggles, clear like a bell’s chime, and sweet like a siren’s song. “What do I get out of it?”

Felix ponders that for a moment. He didn’t have all that much to offer. But one thing _does_ come to mind:

“I’ll take you to visit Faerghus,” he suggests, and Khalid looks at him almost suspiciously, but his lips part and his eyes shine with intrigue. He was definitely interested. “You’ve never been out of the country, have you? Before we marry, I’ll bring you along with me to Fraldarius territory. It’s only fair.”

“…It’s a deal then,” Khalid concedes, and they shake on it.

By the time they had finished their conversation and sparring match, Rodrigue came to get Felix. And, just as suspected, Rodrigue was not entirely happy to see his son’s sword out of its sheath, much less around his fiancée. Rodrigue gave Felix a stern talking to on the way back to their lodging just outside the palace, but all Felix could think about was the inevitability of growing stronger.

Meanwhile, Khalid goes back to his room to change into his daily clothes and not those dusty, traditional clothes that his father had picked out for him. Khalid didn’t know what he had expected out of Felix, but Felix’s fighting spirit certainly wasn’t part of his daydreams about what his groom would be like… The more Khalid thought about Felix, the more they seemed to be hopelessly incompatible.

But Khalid’s deal with Felix may be able to fix that.


End file.
